Counter for moving objects.



G. F. MATTESON.

COUNTER FOR MOVING OBJECTS. APPLICATION FILED 056.11, I9I5.

1 ,273,897. Patented July 3o, 1918.

A TTOAR/VEYS their passage over conveyers,

UNITED "STATES PAT OFFICE.

GEORGE FRANKLYN MATTESON, OF RIDLEY PARK, PENNSYLVANIA', ASSIG'NOR T0THE VEEDER MANUFACTURING COMPANY, 0F HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORA-"rIoN or CONNECTICUT.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE F. MAT'rEsoN, a citizen `of the UnitedStates, residing in Ridley Park, in the State of Pennsylvania, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Counters for MovingObjects, of which the following is a specification, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof.

This invention relates to a counter operated automatically by asuccession of moving objects, such as separate sheets of paper in aswhen sheets are passing into a calender` roll. The invention has beendesigned with especial reference to its use with sheets of paper underthe condition stated, although it will be evident, as this descriptionproceeds that the invention is equally adaptable to usesV in otherfields wherein there is a succession of moving objects. For convenience,in the description and claims, an embodiment will be described in whichthe counter is employed-for the counting of a succession of separatesheets of paper.

Sheets of paper are carried into ancalender roll by conveyer strips orbands which grip the successive sheets and draw them forward into thecalender roll in spaced relationship to one another. In practice, thesheets are fed into the conveyer rapidly by the attendant thatthey areseparated by only a slight space, amounting in some instances, to only aquarter of an inch, or thereabout. Advantage has been taken of thisrelative dispos'tion of the sheets at the time that they are thustraveling through the conveyer band, in providing a counter which shallbe actuated mechanically by each successive sheet and through .suchactuation be caused to count. properly the number of sheets passing intothe calender roll. Other objects conveyed forward in an equivalentmechanical sense may be counted by the improved devices. object toprovidea counter` which shall be certainty to count correctly everyobject and to make this counter of such simple construction as to permitits ready attachment to any machine and insure its correct registrationunder all conditions of use. In accordance with the invention thecounter is set in motion by contact of each sheet of paper with suitablefingers the spaces `between the successive bands so 4 4The invention hasfor its Specification of Letters Patent. Patented 4July 30, 1918.Application ledDecember 11, 1915. Serial No. 66,261. l I

which rest lightly on the surface of the sheet `and drop into the space'between successive sheets to restore the counting devices to theirnormal condition. Of course, in practice, the fingers rest within thelspace between successive sheets for only a fraction of a second, sincethis space is often as small as a quarter of an inch and the Ysheets aredrawn forwardly rapidly, but the improved construction is so simple inits character that the, change of condition in the counting mechanismeffected by this slight tripping movement is suiicient for the purpose.n the improved form of the invention the movement of these fingers intoand out of sheets of paper is not relied upon to drive the counter, butthe driving power is derived from an independent source, the eifect ofthe tripping movement of the lingers as described being merely tooperate an escapement device or its equivalent and thereby permittheindependent driving power to be transmitted through suitable clutchelements to the counter shaft. In this way the sheets of paper arerelieved from all undue stresses and their liability tearing by thecounting mechanism is minimize The invention is further concerned withmany advantageous de- -tails of construction by which the stated oballof which details will be specifically in vconnection with thedescription of the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a sideelevation and partly in section, showing the application of the improvedcounter toa machine tinuously into a calender..-v roll, this. last namedmechanism being indicated conventionally.

Fig. 2 is a view of so much of the apparatus as is shown in Fig. 1looking down on the machine of Fig. 1 at an angle of 45 from the upperright hand side thereof las indicated by the arrow.

Fig. 3 is a detail view of the escapement device, showing particularlythe relation of the holding pawls to the escapement Wheel.

Fig. 4: is a fragmentary detail View in section taken on the planeindicated by lthe line -l-i of Fig. 3 and looking in the direction ofthe arrows.

The path of movement ofthe sheets of jects are realized, pointed outmore for feeding sheets of paper conporting bar d, as through a clampc', this guide c constituting conveniently a plate with a serrated end02 for a purpose which will hereinafter appear; The supporting bar d maybe journaled in side brackets e which are secured in turn to suitableframe members f. By the disposition of the parts described, each sheetof paper will be drawn over the fingers 02 of the guide-plate c.

On the upper ends of the side brackets e may be secured a secondsupporting rod g,

which extends between the brackets in parallelism to the lowersupporting bar d for the paper-guide c. On the upper bar vg there 1sfixed releasably a sup orting arm k, as through a set screw L, or thesupport, at its free end, of a reduction pulley z' to which rotation isimparted from any available source of power and from which power istransmitted, as through a belt 7c, to the shaft of the counter Z, aswill be explained.

The counter Z is supported removably on the upper supporting bar g bymeans of suitable brackets m arranged to be clamped to the bar g asthrough set screws m. The counter Z may be of any usual and approvedform and inasmuch as the invention is not concerned with theconstruction of the counter itself none of the elements thereof will bereferred to specifically with the exception of the driving shaft Z shownmost clearly in Fig. 4. rlfhe end of this shaft Z is formed with aball-race Z2 in which are disposed the balls Z3 for the support of adrive pulley n for the counter. This drive pulley carries in its frontface a removable ball-cup n whereby assembling and disassembling arefacilitated. On the inner face of the drive pulley n is supported asthrough spring-pressed pins o, a friction disk p through which thecounter shaft'Z extends loosely. In juxtaposition to the friction disk pand abutting against the face thereof is a friction Washer g of suitablematerial, such as wood, the other face of which is held in frictionalengagement with an escapement wheel 7- which is keyed to thecounter-shaft Z. Of course, the engagement of the friction disk p withthe washer g and the engagement of the latter with the escapement wheelr, is frictional, the degree of pressure depending entirely upon thetension of the springs 0. inasmuch as power is transmitted continuouslyduring operation These sheets pass belt lo and the number of sheets ofpaper or moving objects correctly counted.

The escapement mechamsm comprlses generally a double esca ementpawl-lever s,-

the fingers s and s2 o which act alternately upon a single tooth rformed on the periphery of they escapement wheel r. The pawl-lever s iscarrled on a rock shaft t which may bejournaled conveniently in thesupporting brackets m, for the counter Z, and subJected to the action ofa light torsional spring t in engagement with the shaft and with one ofthe brackets m. Between the ends of the shaft t is fixed a controllingarm, illustrated in the present embodiment, as formed of a series oflight lingers t2, the ends of which are intended to rest on the surfaceof the successive sheets of paper or other moving objects and drop intothe space esA between such sheets or objects under the infiuence of thetorsional spring t. Each time the fingers t2 drop into the space betweenthe successive sheets of paper, the escapement lever s is rocked so thatone or the other of the fingers s', s2 thereon releases the tooth r onthe escapement wheel and permits this wheel to rotate through thedrive-of the friction washer g until the tooth comes into engagementwith the other of the fingers s', 82.

In operation, it may be supposed that the ends of the fingers t2 rest ina space between two successive sheetsof paper or other objects. In thisposition, the pawl-lever s will be rocked so as to bring the finger sthereof into engagement with the tooth r on the escapement wheel r.During the forward travel of the paper, the ends of the fingers Z2 willride up on the surface of the sheet thereby rocking the pawl-lever s anddisengaging its finger s from the ratchet tooth r. Immediately upon thisrelease, the power from the belt c is impressed u on the escapementwheel r through t e friction washer g and the counter-shaft Z isaccordingly rotated until the ratchet tooth 7" is moved into engagementwith the other finger s2 on the pawl-lever s. As soon as the engagementis effected, the drive pulley n rotates idly. When the fingers t2 rideofi' the surface of the sheet and drop into the succeeding space, thepaWl-lever 8 is rocked again so as to move the finger s2 out of theengagement with the ratchet tooth r. As the space between successivesheets of paper will usually be very small and thev rate of travel ofthe sheets is relatively great, the lingers t2 will remain in the spacefor only a small unit of time and then ride up on the surface of thesheet'following, thereby rocking the paWl-lever s again into theposition shown in Fig. 3 and permitting the escapement Wheel 11 with thecounter-shaft l* to have a 'full revolution.

It will Ibe appreciated that the invention is in nowiselimited to thecharacter ofthe machine to which the improved mechanical counter isapplied nor to the details of construction by Which the desiredrelationship between the counter and the objects to be counted iseffected. F urther,'the described action of the paWl-lever s withrespect to -the fingers t2 and the ratchet tooth r may be brought aboutby the substitution of mechanical equivalents and the phase relation ofoperations changed. Again, the degree of friction between the frictionWasher q and the abutting elements may be adjusted `to suit particularconditions of use by the adjustment of the springs 0 of the lsupportingpins o for 'the friction disk p. Other departures from theillustrated'embodiment may be made Without departing from the spirit 0fthis invention provided the advantages described are4 realized and themodified structures fall Within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. The combination of means for effecting movement of a succession ofobjects, a supporting device over which the objects move, a controllingarm pivotall mounted above the path of travel of the objects and adaptedto rest at its free end lightly on the moving objects in proximity tothe supporting device, a counter, continuously acting driving means forthe counter, a slipping friction clutch interposed between the drivingmeans andthe counter, and an escapement coperating-With the slippingfriction clutch and controlled by said controlling arm.

2. The combination of means foifeii'ecting movement of a succession ofobjects, a supporting device'overwhich the objects move.

a shaft mounted above the path of travel of the objects and transversethereto, a controlling arm carried by the shaft and resting at its freeend lightly on the moving objects in proximity to the supporting device,

'a counter, continuously acting driving means for the counter, aslipping friction clutch interposed between the driving means and thecounter, and an escapement coperating with the slipping friction clutchand controlled by said shaft. l

This specification signed this 4 day of December, A. D. 1915.

GEORGE FRANKLYN MATTEsoN.

